Curated by
Valeria Fedeli, Sarah Chiodi, Daniele Viarengo
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Open School
Antifragility at play. Exploring Antifragile approachesto urban planning, design and policy
Reflections from the International Week 2025
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University Gustave Eiffel, Hafencity University Hamburg, University of Ljubljana, University of Malmö, Politecnico di Milano
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From February 10th to 14th, 2025, the Politecnico di Milano had the honor of hosting the International Week, bringing together students and faculty from University Gustave Eiffel, Hafencity University Hamburg, University of Ljubljana, University of Malmö, and Politecnico di Milano. The central theme, "Antifragility at Play", guided discussions and workshops aimed at exploring antifragile approaches to urban planning, design, and policy.
This year, students had the opportunity to work directly with CRAFT's pilot projects, using their diverse backgrounds and expertise to reflect on and propose innovative strategies to address urban and territorial fragilities. The experience was not only an exercise in applied learning but also a demonstration of how interdisciplinary collaboration can contribute to real-world challenges.
The week was structured around lectures, site visits, and intensive workshops, with each student group focusing on one of the pilot projects. The aim was to critically assess the projects and provide insights on how antifragile methodologies could enhance their impact.
Highlights from the Pilot Projects
- School Segregation: Breaking Barriers in Education
This project examines how socio-spatial inequalities shape school segregation and explores interventions to create more inclusive educational environments. Students analyzed patterns of school choice and mobility, considering how planning tools and policies could promote greater social equity. Discussions also centered on the role of local administrations in fostering educational inclusivity. - Atlante San Vittore: Rethinking Prison Environments
A visit to San Vittore prison allowed students to explore the Atlante San Vittore project, which seeks to improve the prison’s habitability. The project acts as both an operational tool and a capacitation pathway, addressing the multiple needs of the prison from a design perspective. Students provided feedback on how spatial reconfigurations could support rehabilitation and community reintegration while fostering a more humane environment for inmates and staff. - Unconventional Affordable Housing
This project explores the intersection of affordability and unconventionality in contemporary living. By reflecting on existing housing models and alternative solutions, students examined strategies such as transformative reuse of buildings, co-housing models, and collaborative housing schemes. Their proposals focused on enhancing adaptability in housing policies while considering social, economic, and environmental sustainability. - Financialization of the Urban Market
The discussions around Milan's real estate dynamics highlighted the increasing impact of financialization, where investment-driven property markets shape urban landscapes and affect affordability. Students critically analyzed the role of speculative investments and urban transformations, proposing antifragile planning strategies to balance economic growth with equitable access to housing and public services. - Digital and Territorial Transformations
This project investigates how digital infrastructures, such as data centers and logistics hubs, are reshaping urban and intermediate territories. Students explored the environmental and socio-economic impacts of these transformations, debating strategies to regulate their expansion while ensuring local communities benefit from technological advancements rather than being marginalized by them.
Throughout the week, the students engaged in an iterative learning process, where theory met practice. Each pilot project session was structured as a two-way dialogue, with researchers and students exchanging insights and co-developing potential directions for future work. This approach reinforced CRAFT’s commitment to active, participatory research, ensuring that antifragility is not just a theoretical concept but an applied strategy for territorial resilience.
The International Week 2025 demonstrated that the antifragile approach can serve as a powerful lens to rethink urban and territorial challenges. By working on real projects, students contributed to shaping more adaptive, inclusive, and resilient cities.
We extend our gratitude to all the participating students, faculty, and researchers who made this experience so enriching.